The present invention generally relates to automatic tape loading type recording and/or reproducing apparatuses, and more particularly to an automatic tape loading type recording and/or reproducing apparatus which carries out a recording and/or a reproduction in a state where a tape has been drawn out of a tape cassette and wrapped around a peripheral surface of a guide drum which is provided with one or a plurality of heads.
Recently, recording and/or reproducing apparatuses have become popular. In such a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a tape is drawn out of a tape cassette which is loaded into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and the drawn out tape is then loaded in a predetermined tape path. In this predetermined tape path, the tape makes contact with a peripheral surface of a guide drum which is provided with one or a plurality of heads. A signal is recorded onto and/or reproduced from the tape which is in the predetermined tape path. In the above recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the tape is loaded in the predetermined tape path automatically, and the apparatus is therefore referred to as an automatic tape loading tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
The conventional automatic tape loading type recording and/or reproducing apparatus was designed to drawn the tape out of the loaded tape cassette and to load the tape in the predetermined tape path, by moving a pair of loading poles which are respectively provided on the supply reel side and the take-up reel side, over approximately the same distance along both sides of the guide drum. In other words, the loading poles each performed one-half of the tape loading operation. Because the loading poles move over a relatively long distance, the loading poles were supported on respective first and second loading rings which encircle the guide drum. Thus, it was necessary to provide two loading rings, and this necessity for two loading rings became a problem when reducing the weight of the apparatus. In addition, since the two loading rings were arranged one on top of the other, this arrangement of the two loading rings became a problem when attempting to reduce the thickness or height of the apparatus. Further, the need to move the two loading poles to respective positions behind the guide drum with respect to the loaded tape cassette, became a problem when downsizing the apparatus.